Chapter Text
"Shit."
Mondo sucked his pricked forefinger into his mouth to catch the small drop of blood. The rest of his fingers were covered in band-aids or recently healed from prior needle pokes, but at least their sacrifices ended today. He wasn't as good at hand embroidery as Takemichi was. Sure, he could knock out the long-familiar designs like the full Crazy Diamonds logo on the sewing machine with his eyes closed by now, but he didn't trust himself to free-wheel different details like kanji names.
The tired biker checked his finger's wound had closed, then freed the short tokko-fuku jacket from its large stabilizing hoop to shake it out and double-check his work. Mondo's mouth stretched into a crooked grin. It was perfect; his best work. And right on time, too! A glance at the clock made him wince when he found it was already past four in the morning.
Nightly rides with his gang had been given up for whole two weeks so he could pour his soul into this project. He'd returned to Hope's Peak from his summer vacation earlier than necessary to finish up and be here for the right day. He deeply hoped all the personal meaning behind it would be understood. Mondo took the jacket and a matching pair of pants he'd done smaller embroidery on earlier, and neatly placed them in a cheap brown gift bag. He then shut off his dorm's light and crashed onto his bed for a good few hours of sleep.
Around lunchtime the next day, Mondo walked into the school cafeteria a little sheepishly, carrying the bag. Luckily, Kiyotaka was finishing up his meal the school graciously still provided over breaks and waved to him in greeting. The hall monitor had insisted on staying all summer break to save travel money and keep his studies fresh.
"Good afternoon, bro! Did you just wake up?" Kiyotaka asked with only slight disapproval. It's not like Mondo had a schedule to keep over summer, but he should still be getting prepared for the school routine to start again.
"Uh, yeah." Mondo rubbed the back of his neck, then smiled brightly down at Kiyotaka, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRO!"
Kiyotaka's red eyes lit up with a fondness that always made Mondo's heart skip, "Bro, you remembered! I'd almost forgotten. Thank you!" He stood up, dressed in his old white school uniform because his brown uniforms for Hope's Peak were pressed and ready in his closet, and went to hug Mondo before a brown bag was held up between them.
"I, um, got ya somethin'," Mondo said through a stiff jaw to control his nervous habit of shouting. "Can we go to your room?"
Awed, Kiyotaka eyed the bag then looked up at Mondo's face for more information. Or he had tried to. Mondo was finding everything in the room more fascinating to currently keep his eyes on. "S-Sure, bro! Let me just clean up!"
After Kiyotaka cleaned his tray—and washed his spot at the table and put his chair back up—an impatient Mondo practically dragged him by the arm to his dorm room. When the door shut behind them, Kiyotaka was also humming with nerves, feeding off Mondo's energy.
"Bro, you really didn't have to get me anything," Kiyotaka said kindly. He wondered what caused Mondo to be this stressed out over a simple gift.
"Fuck that! 'Course I did!" Mondo sounded upset Kiyotaka would suggest otherwise. Letting out a breath, he relaxed and handed over the bag, "You're my bro!"
Kiyotaka gratefully took it and removed the clothing found inside. He was shocked at the bold red color that greeted him. Unfolding the jacket piece, he noticed the length ended above the waist and it had a stiff collar that'd stand to mid-neck. On the left-side breast, there was the kanji for "kyoudai" stitched in white thread and outlined in gold. It was beautifully done, but it left him quietly confused.
Mondo was so antsy he was going to climb the walls in a second. "Turn it around!"
Doing so brought the back full of embroidery to Kiyotaka's attention and took his breath away. "Wha...? Bro?" He held the jacket a bit more delicately, tracing over the large Crazy Diamonds logo and motto in gold thread. "Did you do this yourself?"
The biker's face shone with pride, "Sure did! What, you don't know I do my gang's jackets? What kinda piss-poor leader can't make his own uniforms?"
"No, of course you do! It's just s-so much. It's gorgeous, but," Kiyotaka paused, swallowing thickly, "I'm not in your gang. I can't be..."
"No, no, look!" Mondo rushed over, hands slightly shaking as he picked the pants up to unfurl them. "See! On the pant leg!"
Kiyotaka gently laid the jacket on his bed to take the pants and bring the leg closer. There was a smaller Diamonds logo minus the text on the front of the left thigh, with the word "honorary" above it and his name, 'Kiyotaka,' below. He couldn't help but laugh, still stunned by it all. "Honorary members are a thing?"
Mondo nodded quickly, "They are if I say they are!" He crowded into Kiyotaka's personal space, draping an arm over his bro's shoulders and pointing to the embroidery with his other hand, "I used your given name 'cuz I know ya wanna keep your family name clean, but if ya ever want to add it, I can!"
It was all so much, Kiyotaka didn't know where to begin. The gang was Mondo's world, and he'd just been invited into it with personalized uniform and all. Of course, he couldn't join or wear the tokko-fuku outside, but the symbolism of it made his chest feel full. Mondo had painstakingly stitched everything, and especially his name. Mondo's hands had sewed it in with care, one thread at a time. He didn't know why his cheeks felt so hot.
As the silence stretched, Mondo's nerves returned. "Is iT OKAY?" Shaking his head, he tried again more normally, "I'm sorry I couldn't give ya white 'cuz, uh, when Daiya was alive, that was... Ahem! And I didn't want to give ya plain black like the rest of us 'cuz you're special to me!"
Mondo's lilac eyes widened when Kiyotaka's head quickly turned to him in surprise, and he realized what he'd just said. "I MEAN, OUR RELATIONSHIP IS SPECIAL! FUCK, I MEAN AS MY BRO! MY BRO SHOULD STAND OUT, Y'KNOW, AND IT'S THE COLOR OF YOUR EYES!"
He devolved into a string of curse words at himself and started to back away. Kiyotaka could only smile at him, with lips slowly pulling wider and blush spreading as the scene went on.
"NOT THAT I STARE AT YOUR EYES OR ANYTHING FUCKIN' CREEPY LIKE THAT!" Mondo kept going, mortified at himself. "IT'S THE FIRST RED SUIT I SAW! A CO-COINCIDENCE! ANYWAY, YA HATE IT SO I'LL JUST TAKE IT BACK AND BURN IT NOW!"
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Kiyotaka yelled in turn, holding the pants protectively to his chest, safe from Mondo's hands. They had a silent stare-down as Mondo got his breathing back to normal and Kiyotaka gushed, "I love it. It's the... the most wonderful thing anyone's ever given me. Thank you, Mondo."
Mondo felt his mouth go dry like it did each rare time Kiyotaka called him by his name. "O-Oh. Yeah! You're welcome... Taka," he forced out as steady as he could. He refused to examine why using it felt so intimate, like a word to be whispered with reverence. Right now, what mattered was his gift had made his bro happy.
Kiyotaka grinned at the use of his nickname. He brought the pants into his line of sight again and ran his fingers over the thread creating his name. "It really is so well done, bro! You must have very steady hands."
The band-aids on Mondo's fingers begged to differ, but he wasn't going to mention it if Kiyotaka didn't. "Nah, just a lot 'a practice. You should see what Michi can do."
"I'm sure I'd still prefer your work!"
They awkwardly met eyes but just as quickly looked away. Kiyotaka hadn't received many gifts in his life, but he knew this much tension shouldn't be there. Perhaps he just had to move things forward. "I should try it on!"
A lighter feeling of excitement broke through the room when Mondo's attention was immediately brought back to the hall monitor. "Yeah? Yeah! I'll bet it looks awesome, bro!"
Kiyotaka laughed, picked up the jacket, and went into his dorm's bathroom. "I'll be just a minute!"
As soon as the door was shut, Mondo couldn't help but bounce in place as an outlet for the rest of his excited energy. He must have just been uncomfortable with all the compliments and sentiment, is all. Naturally, it was a little embarrassing being so open in letting Kiyotaka know how important he is to Mondo. He'd never be able to vocalize that Kiyotaka would be welcome into his world anytime, so the jacket said it for him. There were no delusions about Kiyotaka actually joining the gang or riding behind him while wearing the tokko-fuku proudly. Although, that would be... nice. Mondo really wanted to see that—feel that.
He sat on the edge of the bed to wait, imagining Kiyotaka warmly behind him as they tore rubber around the city. Mondo's personal logo, a symbol for half his name, would be laid like a brand on Kiyotaka's back, letting everyone who followed know 'Taka' was his.
Bro. His bro: that's what he meant to finish that thought with. The lack of sleep and stress must have caught up with him lately.
Kiyotaka's voice called from the bathroom, "Do I wear my boots with this?"
"Ha! Sure, that'd prolly look badass," Mondo answered casually. He knew Kiyotaka's long laces wouldn't be safe near his bike, but this was just a test run. Possibly the only test run Mondo would ever get.
A minute later, Kiyotaka emerged from the bathroom, clad entirely in the custom Crazy Diamonds uniform. Mondo had done a great job on the fit, having asked a gang member with a similar build beforehand. Kiyotaka wore the short Diamond's jacket open over his fitted undershirt. It shouldn't have affected Mondo much, especially because he was used to seeing Kiyotaka's chest completely bare without a problem. However, the thin, white shirt combined with the tokko-fuku unexpectedly started to send Mondo into a personal crisis.
Mondo wheezed. Kiyotaka didn't notice, still adjusting the clothing. "I admit it is more comfortable than I thought it'd be. Should I have buttoned the jacket up?"
Mondo whimpered.
"Oh, how does the back look?" Kiyotaka spun around with his back to Mondo and looked over his shoulder. The red of the material did match his eyes amazingly well. The Crazy Diamonds logo laid a bright claim to him the exact way Mondo had pictured. The jacket was an inch or so short of his waist, leaving a peek of his back before the pants began. Those very pants that somehow hugged his ass before the fit became baggy down his legs, then cinched in at the black boots.
Mondo was completely out of oxygen for his gaping mouth to make any more sound at all.
"Bro?" Kiyotaka faced Mondo fully again, concern evident. "Bro! Mondo, you're turning blue! BREATHE!"
Finally managing to get his lungs working again before he could pass out, Mondo put the air to good use, "YOU LOOK SO FUCKIN HO–COOL, BRO! WANT YOU! SHIT, I MEANT, RIDE ME! NO, WITH! FUCK, I WANT YOU TO RIDE WITH ME! ON MY BIKE! LATER! RIGHT NOW I GOTTA GO! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
With that, Mondo bolted out the door and down the hall like authorities were chasing him. Kiyotaka was left staring at the corner of the bed where he'd sat, feeling shocked, worried, and more than a little flustered.